Daniel Sancery is the only Brazilian player to have ever played in a full professional league. He played one season in Albi's first team in French Pro D2. His brother Felipe played just for the Albi's espoir ("A") team.

Luiz Vieira played in the Oyonnax espoir team too. Moisés Duque in the Blagnac's first team, but it was the Fédérale 1 (3rd division). Beukes Cremer played in the Sharks Academy, while De Wet van Niekerk played in Stellenbosch.

That ARN article seems a bit optimistic. The thought of two Argentina teams plus a South America Super Rugby team in the next few years sounds farfetched. While Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Paraguay are improving, 2021 is only four years away. Seems more like a plan for a decade down the road when they might have the combined talent to compete. Would make more sense for the South American Unions to pool together with UAR to form a Half Argentina/Half South America team based ideally out of Montevideo but more likely somewhere in Argentina.

Also does anyone know what happened to Uruguay international Gastón Mieres? I thought he was one of their better backs heading into the World Cup but don't recall him doing much since.

Since the Olympics the Brazilian Rugby Union is saying they want the franchise in São Paulo, because Pacaembu stadiums averages +9k people and the free-to-air brodcast last year was seen by 14 million people, much more than Uruguay or a smaller Argentine city can have. And the only city in South America with flights to South Africa is São Paulo.

The questions are: who would pay for it (Brazilian rugby needs much more development investments first)? and would this public turn on rugby if it wasn't the Brazilian national team properly?

The problem about Montevideo is the size: a 1,5 million people city full of football. But of course Uruguay is the one that deserves more if we think about results and history. Uruguayan rugby is much more mature than Brazilian rugby. However, Montevideo probably doesn't have more rugby fans than São Paulo nowadays.

Maybe we should be talking first about a South American "Currie Cup-like" semipro league, with franchises in all Southern Cone to begin. It could start with 3 Argies and 1 Brazilian, 1 Uruguayan and 1 Chilean. This would help Brazil, Uruguay and Chile to manage a full pro/semipro high performance squad each, playing the whole year. If sustainable, add 1 Paraguayan and a second Brazilian. But we must lern with PRO to begin with something like this. That's why I say "semipro". Specially because Argentine rugby doesn't deal well with professionalism. They could manage "amateur" high performance teams their way. There is much conflict that can happen between national unions/teams and amateur clubs here and we need a better structured pyramidal model to organize the high performance squads without mess with clubs.

victorsra wrote:Since the Olympics the Brazilian Rugby Union is saying they want the franchise in São Paulo, because Pacaembu stadiums averages +9k people and the free-to-air brodcast last year was seen by 14 million people, much more than Uruguay or a smaller Argentine city can have. And the only city in South America with flights to South Africa is São Paulo.

The questions are: who would pay for it (Brazilian rugby needs much more development investments first)? and would this public turn on rugby if it wasn't the Brazilian national team properly?

The problem about Montevideo is the size: a 1,5 million people city full of football. But of course Uruguay is the one that deserves more if we think about results and history. Uruguayan rugby is much more mature than Brazilian rugby. However, Montevideo probably doesn't have more rugby fans than São Paulo nowadays.

Maybe we should be talking first about a South American "Currie Cup-like" semipro league, with franchises in all Southern Cone to begin. It could start with 3 Argies and 1 Brazilian, 1 Uruguayan and 1 Chilean. This would help Brazil, Uruguay and Chile to manage a full pro/semipro high performance squad each, playing the whole year. If sustainable, add 1 Paraguayan and a second Brazilian. But we must lern with PRO to begin with something like this. That's why I say "semipro". Specially because Argentine rugby doesn't deal well with professionalism. They could manage "amateur" high performance teams their way. There is much conflict that can happen between national unions/teams and amateur clubs here and we need a better structured pyramidal model to organize the high performance squads without mess with clubs.

In a perfect world your suggested Sth American league would be the way I'd look to go. I actually think WR should be looking at such structures as a means of further developing targeted nations. They are already looking to fund Fiji in the NRC. Why not expand that kind of investment a bit.

NaBUru38 wrote:I think that Argentina XV should play the Currie Cup before a second South Samerican team enters the Super Rugby.

No chance. The Pampas XV experience was heavily subsidized by World Rugby. As soon as those grants went away, they couldn’t participate in the Vodacom Cup any longer. There is little to none commercial upside to offset the costs. We are talking about travel fares, three month accommodation, the per diem of each player, etc.

This year the SAR C will be five teams?. Will Nicaragua join to Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panamá and El Salvador?. Or not yet?. Will be great to see a Central Americans Five Nations, or even a Six Nations if in the future Honduras adds to the tournament.

Interesting since there was no friendly match this year as in previous years at the C tournament.

I am concerned about the one sided results. Not sure if there will be 5 nations but is a step in the right direction considering the funding situation. I would say Honduras would join first the C Tournament they have a structure in place in the north ( albeit a small one). What they need is club rugby setup, not just in Roatan but in Tegucigalpa where they only have 1 club

Here is were WR and Sudamerica Rugby are failing in terms of Capital and structural investment.

This phrase was popularized by famous referee Nigel Owens. There's some situations, fortunately few, in rugby matches that don't belong to our sport. THe Welshman is a specialist to control times and knows well how to communicate with players. That phrase, lapidary, is used when some player feigns or protests irately.

[...]

Justice and transparency are the norm. They are the way.

Luckily, rugby is not football.

In South America, in the world, the sport that dominates everything is football. And on top of that spherical ball altar is Lionel Messi. The Argentine is undoubtedly the best in his generation, and arguably the best in history.

Now he must purge a four-match suspension for insulting openly, in front of the world, a line referee in a national team match for the 2018 Wortld Cup qualifier.

[...]

The football world exploded. Many criticised the decision. Some suggested to penalize the assistant referee for provoking the world star.

A similar situation in rugby carries a penalty between 6 and 52 weeks. THreatening actions wor words are 12 to 2560 weeks. Physical abuse begins in 24 and can be life suspension.

Messi should thank that he plays rugby and not football. Acvtually, if he played our noble sport, he would have never been in position of doing what he did.. He would know how to behave...

Luckily, rugby is not football, as Owen says. Antibodies are strong in our sport and we must keep that. It's what distinguishes us. What keeps us apart from the rest.